A Different Perspective: A First Step in the Right Direction

A few months ago, I travelled to Paris to see L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped by Christo and Jean-Claude. L’Arc de Triomphe, one of the most emblematic landmarks in Paris and France, truly a sight to behold, proudly overlooking the Champs-élysées.

It’s hard to imagine the monument covered in cloth with its reliefs hidden from view. However, seeing L’Arc de Triomphe, wrapped in silver-blue fabric was simply remarkable, and it was just as beautiful and impressive as the L’Arc de Triomphe itself.

For me, this was a reminder of the importance of looking at things from a different perspective once and a while – and not just when it comes to monuments and artwork.

November 16, the International Day for Tolerance, is also an occasion that reminds us of the importance considering different perspectives and ideas, especially as we look for ways meet the opportunities and overcome the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Looking back over the past year and a half, fighting back against COVID-19 pandemic required collaboration across borders, cultures, and backgrounds. We had to consider different ideas and perspectives to find a way to keep people safe and healthy.

There have been different opinion on the best way to move forward. But often, the best ideas come when we share different perspectives with each other, because then we must respectfully discuss and work to come to a shared understanding and a way to move forward together to meet our common goal.

Tolerance does not mean that we must constantly agree with one another or accept each other’s ideas and perspectives without question. When we find an opinion objectionable, we, of course, have to speak up and refute them. At the same time, however, we must also seek to understand their perspectives, enter a dialog, and make space for differing opinions. We must respect the right of others to have an opinion that is different from ours, not necessarily the opinion or practice itself.

When we seek to understand different opinions, it gives us the opportunity to look at things from a different perspective and find a new common way of doing things and moving forward together.

Each and every one of us has a responsibility to ensure equality of treatment and of opportunity for all groups and individuals in society. And each and every one of us can take steps to promote tolerance and ensure equality of treatment and opportunity.

For example, in a business context, one topic that is quite close to my heart is building and growing diverse and inclusive teams. My current team is one of the most diverse teams at SAP with colleagues in nearly 80 countries. Diversity is part of our DNA, and I am proud to be part of such a diverse group of colleagues from all over the world.

When you consider today’s increasingly complex business environment, the difference that we can make is to bring diverse backgrounds to the table. And the more complex business problems are, the more important these diverse backgrounds become.

But diversity alone is just the beginning. In order to truly make a difference, we also need to put a stronger focus on including those diverse voices and points of view. When we embrace people from different backgrounds and empower them to make meaningful contributions, we can begin to explore all of the possibilities that diversity has to offer.

Going beyond business, dealing with issues at a global level, such as climate change, poverty, and inequality. These problems are complex, difficult to solve, cross many disciplines, and affect many people. To address and overcome these issues, we need to find new ways to collaborate and seek out new ideas so that we can examine things from a different perspective, find productive solutions, and be better prepared for what the future holds.

An inclusive, tolerant environment requires meaningful acts from everyone. Reach out to people, build up a diverse network, stay open, and stay curious. Never be afraid to be the first to say, “Hello!” Fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples is up to all of us, and each of us can take the first step in the right direction.

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